


A Trip Through The Marauders Era

by A Sirius Crush On Moony (Obsession137)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble Collection, Multi, Slash, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-16 15:18:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 5,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2274606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsession137/pseuds/A%20Sirius%20Crush%20On%20Moony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles about the Marauders and other characters from that era. There will be various pairings inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Food Fight

Each year, the Marauders watched a new set of seventh years graduate from Hogwarts. They all dreaded the day it would be them, so they made a vow that at their end of year feast in seventh year, they would orchestrate a huge food fight.

So, when the day finally arrived, James jumped up onto the Gryffindor table with a bowl of mashed potato in his hands. Without any warning he flung it towards Severus Snape and howled "FOOD FIGHT!"

The whole school began throwing bread and chicken and soup and carrots and whatever else they could find to throw. The teachers looked bewildered, but it wasn't long before they were joining in.

Eventually even the House Elves had emerged from the kitchens with desserts in their hands. Cream cakes and flan and apple pies were being hurled around and the entire Great Hall was a complete mess.

Everybody was screaming and the house tables had been turned on their sides as shields. Houses turned against each other; it was total chaos.

It wasn't until a week later when the four of them were sitting in Remus's flat starving as none of them knew how to cook, that they regretted their master plan.

Oh, what they wouldn't do for a bowl of mashed potato.


	2. Christmas At Hogwarts

Christmas was never one of Severus's favourite holidays. Back at home, he never got any presents. One year he received an odd pair of socks. Another year he received an out-of-date box of chocolates that had been half eaten. Some years his family completely forgot that it was Christmas.

So when he started Hogwarts, he didn't expect much.

On Christmas morning, he woke up alone in his dorm – his dorm mates had gone home.

To his surprise, he saw a pile of presents at the end of his bed.

He opened the first present. A box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. A small card fell out of the wrapping paper.

' _Sev,_

_Merry Christmas. I know it isn't much but I wasn't sure what you liked. I hope you have a wonderful day!_

_Love,_

_Lily xx'_

A smile appeared on his face. He moved on to the next present.

A bottle of shampoo.

' _Snivellus. Maybe you can finally clean your hair. –James Potter.'_

He picked up the present next to it.

Another bottle of shampoo.

' _Hey there Sniveltron! Give that greasy hair a good old rinse! –Sirius Black.'_

He picked up the next present and unwrapped. Rolling his eyes, he set the next bottle of shampoo down on the bed next to him and read the card.

' _Snivellus. Clean up. –Peter Pettigrew.'_

In that moment, Severus didn't care that his presents were from James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. He didn't care that the presents were just statements against his cleanliness. He didn't even care that the bottles of shampoo looked extremely cheap.

All he could think was that they cared enough to send him a Christmas present when not even his own parents had bothered.

And although Severus knew that his Christmas was pretty awful compared to other people's Christmases, he smiled.

This was his best Christmas ever.


	3. New Beginnings

The car journey to King's Cross Station was an emotional one.

Peter Pettigrew came from a Muggle family, and two weeks ago he had found out that he was a wizard and was heading off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland.

It had taken a lot of convincing for his parents to agree to him attending Hogwarts, but they had finally said yes.

He was sitting in the back seat of his dad's car, staring out the window at his house.

The car started up and they backed out of their driveway.

Peter stared at his house one last time.

His life was about to change forever.

The car was now driving along the motorway, and Peter stared at the other cars. He saw a boy about his age in a car next to theirs and smiled.

He was unbelievably lucky.

He was a  _wizard_! He was going to be leaning  _magic_! He felt sorry for the people in the other cars who were on their way to work in offices or shops or factories.

He was on his way to start a new life.

A magical life.

When the car pulled up at King's Cross Station, his mum turned and looked at him with a sad smile.

"Are you ready?"

And he was.

"Bring it on," he said with a grin. This would be the best seven years of his life.


	4. Escapes

Whenever Andromeda went home for Christmas, she found the garden as a sort of escape from her family.

It was freezing cold outside, and the others being up-tight as they were, thought it ridiculous to even think about going into the garden at this time of year.

They saw the garden as a place for House Elves in the winter.

Andromeda loved the cold air. It cleared her head. She would sit on the bench at the end of the garden and just think.

Think about Ted. Think about a future with him. Think about leaving this family forever.

She would glance inside the house and see her them inside in their formal robes, laughing over something that was probably demeaning to Muggles and Muggle-borns.

When the whole family was over, she would stay inside for half an hour and then slip away without a word and find herself in the garden.

She'd close her eyes and count to one hundred.

Nine times out of ten, she would hear the door open and her younger cousin Sirius would appear, and sit beside her on the bench.

She knew that he felt the same way about their family.

The garden and the cold air was his escape.

He would smile at her, and she would smile back.

No words would be exchanged between them; this was their quiet time to think.

They'd sit there for a while until someone finally came looking for them. When they were called back inside, they would stick together in the house.

They were one in the same.

White sheep in a family of Black.


	5. Drooling

Sirius was not a person who usually fell in love, but damn, Cupid had shot the arrow right into his heart and boy was he in love now.

“Stop drooling,” James said, sounding slightly alarmed at the state of his best friend.

“Just... look... at... him,” Sirius said, sighing and leaning against James, who shoved him off.

“Sirius. I’m bored of hearing about him! Why don’t you just go and tell him yourself?”

Sirius imagined it.

_He’d walk right up to Remus, slow-motion, like in one of those Muggle films. He would be wearing a leather jacket and emitting sexiness to the next degree. He’d stride up to him and run a hand through his hair erotically._

_“I want you, Remus,” he’d say in a deep, sexy voice. Remus would look up and almost die of over-exposure to such a hot person, and then he would lunge himself at Sirius and shove his tongue down his throat in a desperate mission to tear Sirius’ clothes off and make love to him and-_

“STOP DROOLING!”


	6. Crazy

“This is crazy.”

Remus pressed his lips to Regulus’ forehead and ran his fingers through his hair.

“What’s crazy?” he mumbled.

“Us,” Regulus replied. “You’re a werewolf-” he was silenced by a kiss from Remus. “Mmm... and I’m a-” he was silenced by another kiss. “a Black.”

Remus pushed him down onto the grass and held his hands above his head.

“Who says crazy is a bad thing?” he asked, leaning down to kiss Regulus’ neck, and trailing his kisses up until their lips met, and it was pure bliss.


	7. "Yes"

It was Christmas. Lucius was away working on something Ministry-related, and Draco was in Argentina for a work trip. The snow fell silently across the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Narcissa despised Lucius for leaving her alone all of the time. She hated it.

It was cold inside the manor. Narcissa peered out of the large window that overlooked the gardens. She wrapped her arms around herself.

She heard a loud _crack_ echoing through the frosty air, and spotted a little dot amongst the flurry of snow, which was growing gradually bigger and bigger.

She knew immediately what the little dot was. Or _who_ it was.

A wave of warmth spread over her like she had drunk a hot drink, and she was rushing down the stairs without even stopping to grab her cloak. She wrenched the door wide open and ran towards Fleur.

When they reached each other, they slammed into each other hard, embracing as the snow fell all around them.

"I meesed you," Fleur panted, gazing into Narcissa's blue eyes.

"I missed you so much," Narcissa replied, placing her hands on Fleur's cheeks and smiling. "Where have you been?"

"I've been sinking," Fleur said slowly. "And I know zis sounds crazy but I sink zat I want to leave my 'usband."

"What?" Narcissa exclaimed, feeling her heart warm up.

"I am een love wiz you," Fleur said, grinning. "Just tell me yes and I'm yours."

Narcissa didn't need telling twice. She knew her answer.

"Yes," she breathed, and the kiss that followed melted the coldest snow.


	8. Acceptance

"James, Peter, please sit," Sirius said, uncharacteristically polite. Remus was sitting next to him at the desk in the library and there were two empty chairs opposite them.

James and Peter looked at each other and then took a seat opposite.

"We have to tell you something."

"But you must promise not to hate us," Remus said quickly.

James rolled his eyes. "Here we go," he said.

Sirius frowned. "What?"

James and Peter exchanged glances and then Peter nodded.

"Sirius, Remus, please listen to what we have to say."

The two stayed silent.

"We know," James said. "We've known for a long time."

"You know what?" Remus asked.

"That you two are gay and shagging each other."

Remus's eyes widened and Sirius grinned.

"How'd you know?" Sirius asked.

"Please," James replied. "You don't think we notice you sneaking out of bed every night and tip-toeing into Remus's bed, and you don't think we can here you saying _'shhhhh they'll hear us'_ every. Damned. Night. And you don't think we notice you sneaking back into your own bed every morning?"

Sirius and Remus glanced at each other.

"I thought we were being pretty sneaky."

"Not really," Peter said, looking amused. "Especially that time Remus started squealing that you forgot the lube charm."

"I didn't squeal!" Remus replied, going red.

"You did," James said, grinning. "But anyway, we wanted you to know that we still love you and we don't care that you're together."

"Really?" Remus said. "You don't mind?"

"Only if you learn how to use a damned silencing charm!" James said.

Sirius smirked and Remus blushed, but they were both the happiest they had ever been. They had been accepted, and that was all they ever wanted.


	9. Back To Reality

_ Andromeda sits with Ted at the dining table. She squeezes his hand under the table and looks at her mother and father. _

" _So?" she says quietly._

" _So," her father repeats. "After a lot of consideration, your mother and I would like to let you know that if you want to marry Ted Tonks, then that's your choice and we'll be behind you."_

_ Andromeda's mouth fell open in shock. _

_ She had never been happier in her life. She would get to marry the love of her life, without losing her family in the process. _

Then she woke up.


	10. Blur

"What was your life like before you were a werewolf?"

Remus closed his eyes. What _was_ it like? He'd been bitten at such a young age, it was difficult to remember.

A blur.

He tried desperately to dig back into his mind and find something, _anything_ from before The Night.

A blur.

He could vaguely remember something but every time he tried to remember more to it all he could see was the wolf, the blood, and feel the pain of getting torn into by sharp teeth.

Blurring his memory.

He would never remember. His childhood was lost.


	11. Brave

_ Sirius Black I was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Isla Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Elladora Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Phineas Nigellus Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Sirius Black II was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Phineas Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Cygnus Black I was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Belvina Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Arcturus Black I was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Arcturus Black II was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Lycoris Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Regulus Black I was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Pollux Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Cassiopeia Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Marius Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Dorea Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Callidora Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Cedrella Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Charis Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Lucretia Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Alphard Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Cygnus Black II was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Orion Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Walburga Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Bellatrix Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Andromeda Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

_ Narcissa Black was sorted into Slytherin. _

Sirius Black III was sorted into Slytherin. He closed his eyes, shaking. He didn't want to be in Slytherin – he didn't want to be like the rest of his family.

"Please," he whispered to the Sorting Hat. "Please don't put me in Slytherin. I beg you."

"That takes a lot of courage. Your whole family is in Slytherin. Are you sure?" the Hat said, with a tone of shock in its' voice.

Sirius gulped and nodded his head. "Yes," he replied.

** Sirius Black was sorted into Gryffindor. **

He was brave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And let's not forget my adorable Regulus. Who I love. Dearly XD


	12. Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azkaban is a living hell for Sirius Black.

" _Change is good."_

Sirius slammed his head against the stone cold walls of his Azkaban cell and grunted at the pain. The three words echoed in his head over and over like somebody was standing in his head and yelling them.

He heard the words, and the voice saying those words belonged to James Potter. His best friend. His _dead_ best friend.

Sirius rammed his fist into the wall and broke skin, not even wincing. James had been wrong. Change wasn't _good_.

Sirius edged to the bars of his cell and glared down at his reflection in a puddle that was on the ground outside. All he saw was pure madness.

Long, dirty hair. Black bags under his eyes. Utter insanity in his expression.

He had changed, and it wasn't for the better.

Sirius Black was insane. He could see that now as he stared at himself, and he kept hearing James's cursed words over and over.

" _Change is good."_

Sirius stared up at his ceiling. "You're wrong, mate!" he yelled up angrily.

" _Change is good."_

"Shut the fuck up," Sirius muttered. "You don't know anything. It's not good."

Sirius sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I have to tell you a secret, James," he said. He knew that James was gone and would never hear him, but he felt better talking. "My secret is that I'm going insane. This place is changing me. Your death changed me. Look at me, James."

Sirius ran his fingers through his knotted hair and shook his head.

"Change is terrifying."


	13. Everything

Lily picked up the hairbrush on the table in front of her and slowly started combing her hair. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and smiled at herself. She looked into her own eyes and saw a happiness in them that she had never had before. She saw less strain in her smile.

Her eyes moved down to her left hand, where a wedding ring lay, glimmering brightly. She put the hairbrush down and moved her right hand to touch the wedding ring, and her smile grew slightly as she thought of her husband.

As if on cue, the door opened and James walked in. He dropped down onto the bed and sighed.

"It's been a long day," he said.

"What happened?" Lily asked, turning away from the mirror and sitting down on the bed next to James, taking his hand.

"Dumbledore's given me and Sirius a new mission for the Order," James said. "Polyjuice Potion."

"What for?" Lily asked.

"He says we're the best liars," James grinned, but it did not really reach his eyes. "We need to sneak in. Pretend we're His followers. To get inside information, you know."

"That's really dangerous, James," Lily said, feeling a little uneasy. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"It's  _me_  and  _Sirius_  we're talking about, Lil," James said. "Nothing will happen to us."

Lily sighed; she wasn't convinced. "It's Voldemort," she said. "I just, I want you to be safe."

James sat up and looked her in the eyes. "I promise you I'll be fine."

"Mmhm," Lily said, looking down at her hands.

"Sweetheart," James said, putting a hand on her chin and lifting her face up so their eyes met. "I won't do it if you really don't want me to."

"I don't want you to," Lily said. "I know that's selfish, but I need you."

James leaned forwards and kissed her softly on the lips. "Okay," he said. "I'll let Dumbledore know tomorrow."

Lily smiled and let her head fall against James's chest. "Thank you," she whispered. James tightened his grip around her and kissed her hair.

"Guess what," he said.

"What?"

"Sirius and Remus are getting married."

Lily pulled out of the hug and stared at James. "Really? Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for them!"

"Yeah," James said, rolling his eyes. "You should have seen it today. In the middle of a serious Order meeting, Sirius jumped up onto the table and started  _singing_. SINGING, Lily."

Lily laughed. "That's Sirius for you."

"Well he sang some soppy love song to Remus and then pulled out a ring. I think Dumbles shed a tear."

"Of course he did," Lily said with a smile. "I'm so happy for them. Do you know when they're getting married? You'll be the Best Man, of course. You'll have to start working on a speech, and make sure it's better than Sirius's speech at our wedding."

James grinned goofily. "I wouldn't exactly call  _that_  a speech. It was more like a re enactment of the 1612 Goblin Wars."

"Oh, don't remind me," Lily said, pursing her lips and trying not to laugh at the memory. "He really is one of a kind."

"Yeah," James said fondly.

Lily took a deep breath and then took hold of James's hands and smiled. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Well," Lily said, laughing nervously. "I'm pregnant."

She watched as James's eyes nearly popped out of his head and his mouth fell open, and for a second she thought he wasn't happy, until his face cracked into a huge grin.

"Really? You're really pregnant?!" he said, pulling his hand away from hers and touching her stomach gently.

Lily laughed. "You won't be able to feel anything yet," she said.

James shook his head in disbelief. "I'm going to be a Dad!"

"Yeah. Yeah you are," Lily said. "You'll be a great Dad."

"Well of course," James said, rolling his eyes. "I can't believe this. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Honestly, James. It's too early to tell," Lily said, ruffling his hair up.

James's excited face went to one that was more worried. "Uh, I need to start preparing, don't I? We need a cot, and nappies, and toys, and-"

"-We have months to do that, James. It's okay."

James nodded, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss. She ran a hand through his hair and pulled him closer.

"God," she breathed in between kisses. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too. You're everything."

And that was what he really felt. She was everything; his friend, his partner, his wife, his lover, his soulmate. He couldn't ask for more.


	14. Genius Ideas

Sirius caught Remus heading into the bathroom to have a shower and an idea struck him.

He smirked. Remus might kill him, but it would be worth it. As soon as he heard the shower turn on, he pulled his wand out and whispered "Alohamora", causing the door to open with a click.

Very quietly, Sirius grabbed Remus's towel and all of his clothes and ran away.

Then he waited.

" _SIRIUS BLACK! BRING MY CLOTHES BACK NOW!_ "

And now Sirius had a perfect excuse to walk into the bathroom and see Remus naked.

He grinned. "If you insist!"


	15. Forever's Waiting Room

Regulus stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest impatiently. He wished he knew the time. It felt like he'd been standing here forever, but in reality it had probably only been about fifteen minutes. He hoped that Remus would come for him.

When Remus had still been at Hogwarts, he had promised Regulus that he'd meet him on the edge of the Forbidden Forest at four o'clock on the last day of Regulus's seventh year. Yet here, Regulus stood, and Remus was nowhere in sight.

He could feel his heart rate pick up when he had a horrible thought – what if Remus didn't love him anymore? His entire future happiness was counting on Remus loving him as much as he loved the werewolf.

He looked around all over and there was nobody heading his way.

His heart started to feel like somebody was squeezing it too tightly, and that it would soon burst from the strain.

"Reg."

His voice was soft and oh so perfect. Regulus swivelled round quicker than humanly possible and his eyes landed on his boyfriend. He lunged at him and wrapped his arms tight around him, inhaling deeply and taking in the scent of the most wonderful person he had ever met.

"I missed you so much," he said breathlessly into Remus's ear. Remus clutched onto him tightly and kissed his hair.

"I missed you too," Remus whispered.

When they broke apart, they stared at each other for a long moment, Remus taking Regulus's hands in his own.

"Where are we going to?" Regulus asked.

"We're going to run away and never look back," Remus replied, squeezing his hand. "We're going to live the life we've always dreamed of and we're going to be together forever."

Regulus grinned and grabbed Remus's robes, pulling him closer. "Kiss me."

"If you insist," Remus replied, pulling Regulus in for their first kiss in a year. It was passionate, and wonderful and intoxicating.

Regulus's head was spinning. He'd been dreaming of this moment for such a long time, and just seeing Remus again had made his expectations seem so dull compared to the reality.

Remus was his love, forever and always. He couldn't be happier.

"I love you," Regulus said, when they broke apart.

Remus smiled at him and took his hand once more. He mumbled a heartfelt, "I love you, too," and they headed away.

Away to their new lives, and they would never look back. Not once.


	16. Bad Girls

Narcissa Black strolled out of the Slytherin Common Room, controlling the expression on her face to remain bored-looking. This was a skill she had mastered.

She headed upstairs to the fifth floor. Walking quietly through the corridor, she glanced left and right until she saw the silhouette of someone standing in the corner. She smiled inwardly and pushed her hands into her robes pockets, grabbing the dungbombs she had brought with her. Just as she was about to throw them into the classrooms either side of her, so was brought to a stop.

"Don't you _dare_ ," came the voice of the silhouette. Narcissa smirked as she watched Lily Evans emerge from the shadows.

Narcissa took a deep breath and placed the dungbombs on a nearby windowsill. She then proceeded to put her hands behind her back and force an innocent look upon her pale face.

"I wasn't doing _anything_ ," she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

"I am a prefect," Lily said, stepping closer, shaking her head disapprovingly. "I may have to give you a detention."

"Oh no," Narcissa said, stepping away so that she was now against the stone wall.

Lily grabbed Narcissa by the wrist and pulled her into the nearest classroom. "Welcome to detention," she said, shoving her down onto a desk.

"Mmm, being rough today, are we Lils?" Narcissa whispered, pulling Lily down on top of her. Their lips crashed together, and for a minute or so, all that could be heard were low moans and the squeaking of the desk. Finally, Lily jumped back and began to fix her hair.

"You look sexier with messy hair," Narcissa commented.

Before Lily could fix it, Narcissa ran her fingers through the red locks, messing them up again. Lily rolled her eyes.

"You've been very naughty today, haven't you?" Lily said.

"Yes, I have."

"Why is it you always get detentions? You look like such a good girl."

"I only get in trouble when you're on patrol," Narcissa whispered. Talking dirty was their specialty. Every detention would be the same. They had the routine memorised. It was just different words they spoke.

Lily's eyes looked shiny with lust.

"I should teach you a little lesson, then, shouldn't I?" Lily asked, leaning over and straddling her girlfriend. "Teach you how to be a good girl."

"There's no point," Narcissa breathed, staring up into Lily's face and trying to stop her heart from leaping out of her chest. "I'll only end up being back in here anyway."

Lily closed the gap between them once more in a sweet kiss, much less rough than the previous one, but still as passionate. When they broke apart, Narcissa sighed and smiled.

"I love you, Lils."

Lily blinked down at her and bit her lip. A mix of different emotions seemed to appear on her face, and then she grinned.

"For real?"

Narcissa grinned back. "For real."

"I love you too, Cissy," Lily replied shyly, and for one moment, Narcissa decided that this relationship no longer felt like a secret hidden _thing_ that they covered with petty detentions, but it felt like something _real_ and _pure_ and _true_.

She couldn't ask for anything more.


	17. Of Love and Hatred

Bellatrix Lestrange was not a woman who liked things. No, she _obsessed_ over things. Like when she was five years old she started to obsess over getting sorted into Slytherin house at Hogwarts. When she was sixteen she started to obsess over joining Lord Voldemort. When she was twenty she started to obsess over doing _anything_ to please The Dark Lord. When she was twenty-three, Bellatrix started to obsess over Voldemort himself.

 _You are a married woman_ , she told herself sternly on many occasions. _The Dark Lord isn't capable of love. He doesn't want you._

Yet Bellatrix still found herself dreaming about him night after night, and when she was around him all of her emotions seemed to be heightened. All she could hear, see, feel, breathe was Voldemort. He was highly intoxicating, and the fantasies that came from being around him were nothing short of delicious.

Voldemort had made it clear to her that he did not feel the same way. In fact, he had even pulled her aside once after she had begged him to use the cruciatus curse on her. "Bella," he had said in his cold voice, "as much as I admire your dedication to me, I am not interested in you in that way."

Bellatrix had nodded furiously in an attempt to stop herself from crying. It had been a blow, but Bellatrix decided not to let it get to her. She couldn't help loving him—no matter how hard she tried not to.

* * *

Lord Voldemort did not love. No, quite the opposite really. He _hated_. When he heard that one of his Death Eaters, Rodolphus Lestrange, had betrayed him, his first instinct was to kill the worthless man.

But then his mind started putting things together. Killing the man wouldn't hurt him—he'd be dead. No, there was a much better way to deal with Lestrange's misconduct.

"Bella," Voldemort had said, fingering his wand and gazing down at the woman who worshipped him so much. "I have changed my mind about you."

Bellatrix's eyes widened and she ran towards him. "My Lord? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I want you to meet me tonight," Voldemort hissed. "But lose the clothes."

"My Lord?" Bellatrix's eyes were burning into his with a fire he had never seen before.

"That is an _order_."

Bellatrix's face broke into a smirk and she nodded. "Certainly, My Lord. I will see you tonight." She skipped away, her mass of tangles bouncing behind her.

And so Voldemort would give Rodolphus Lestrange the worst possible punishment. In some ways, it made both him _and_ Bellatrix happy.


	18. Moments

Remus Lupin hadn't exactly lived the easiest of lives—on the contrary, his life had been filled with more grief and pain than most people. Mostly, Remus's way of living was just _getting by_. Each day that passed was a milestone, because most days he felt as though he would rather be dead.

Being a werewolf had really taken its toll on Remus. The only time he had truly been happy was when he was at Hogwarts with his friends—James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. But after that dreaded Halloween, with the loss of the three people closest to him, Remus fell into a depression that consumed him for the following thirteen years.

Remus met Dora at an Order meeting, and he was instantly interested in the peculiar woman. She was a metamorphmagus, and she liked to abuse her abilities in the favour of making people laugh. The first time that Remus truly laughed since his Hogwarts years was when he was watching Dora make impressions of people they knew.

He was falling for her. He knew that he shouldn't be falling for her, but sometimes it was inevitable. She was far too young and far too fun, whilst he was far too old and he was a werewolf. He couldn't be with her.

When she finally convinced him that they should be together, Remus decided to let her in like he'd never let anyone in before. Within a year, they were married and they had a baby on the way. This terrified Remus—imagine if the child ended up like _him_? There was no way that he could live with himself if his child turned out to be a monster too.

But Dora was adamant that even if the baby turned out to be part-werewolf, that she would love the child and Remus with every ounce of her heart, as she already did. Her reassurances finally calmed Remus down, and soon enough he found himself getting excited about the birth of his child.

It was a Wednesday afternoon when Dora's patronus appeared in front of Remus.

"Remus Lupin," came an agitated voice, "get to the damned hospital right now, your baby is being born and he or she is already being feisty with me!"

Remus felt as though the Earth had stopped spinning. It took him a couple of seconds to compose himself before he finally managed to apparate to the hospital.

After ten minutes of frantically asking around for the maternity ward, and trying to locate his wife, he finally burst into the room.

Dora was lying on the hospital trolley clutching onto her heavily pregnant stomach breathing heavily. She glanced up at him, but didn't say a word—he could read her like a book.

He rushed over to her side, and held his hand out to her. "Hold my hand, love. Squeeze as tightly as you need to."

"Remus," Dora gasped, wincing as she went through another contraction. "It hurts."

"If anyone can do this it's you," Remus murmured, tracing circles on the back of her hand. He leaned forwards and planted a kiss on her sweaty forehead. "You're the strongest person I know."

"It's time!"

The declaration from the Healer was enough to make Dora start squeezing Remus's hand. He tried not to let his pain show—after all, Dora was going through much worse.

"You need to start pushing, Nymphadora."

" _It's Tonks,"_ she said through gritted teeth. " _Ahhhhh, god!"_

"Come on baby, you can do it," Remus said softly, running his other hand through her hair which had turned red.

Dora squeezed his hand harder than Remus thought possible, but he didn't make a sound. There was a feeling in his chest that made him smile. Even in this moment, Dora was the most beautiful woman that he had ever laid eyes on.

After a good while of screaming and squeezing of hands, the shrill cry of a new born baby filled the hospital room. The sound was enough to quieten Dora, and was enough for Remus to forget about the pain in his hand.

Both parents stared transfixed at the tiny baby that was being detached from Dora.

"It's a boy!" Dora squealed.

Remus grinned first at his wife and then at his son, and he realised in that moment that he was the happiest man in the world. His son had the tiniest tuft of hair, and it changed from brunette to blue in an instant, and Remus _knew_ that his son was like Dora.

His son would be good. His son would be pure. His son would be happy.


End file.
